If there is anything college has taught me it's that the time spent with your family and friends during summer is sacred. While summer is set out to be the time to travel, and experience new things, I believe summer should also be set out to be when you spend time with the family and friends that you don't see while you're away at school. Growing up makes it especially difficult to appreciate how blessed you truly are. It's sad how it's so natural for one to prioritize school, work, and our social life over time spent with our loved ones. When in reality, time spent with your family and friends should be on the top of our priority list because the time we have with them is so valuable.

Growing up in a big family has taught me that time spent with your family can be some of the craziest, funniest, and most cherished memories of your life. I've realized that your cousins truly are your best friends. Whether it's the cousins you see every week or the ones you only see during Christmas and Thanksgiving when you're all together, it's like no time has passed. Some of my favorite memories from my childhood have come from our family's beach house vacations. Staying up all night playing board games or making ridiculous bets like who can drink 40 beers in one 24 hours. Coming up with such innovative ideas like making a slip in slide on the beach out of tarp. Sitting around the fire drinking a beer and hearing all the ridiculous stories from you parents and uncles youth. And lastly, there is nothing better than having five of the worlds best cooks in one house making delicious meals for a whole week. These are the types of memories that make your summer epic.

With summer coming to an end in only a couple of weeks, it's very important that we take this time to spend with those we love. Coming from a family of six, I understand how hard it is for everyone to be on the same schedule in order to just have a good family dinner. I've learned to cherish every single moment I have together with my family, whether it be a weekend or a couple of weeks. I am blessed to have the family that I have, and plan on enjoying the last two weeks of vacation with my loved ones by my side.